Birds on the Brain

rhamphotheca:

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

by Leo Shapiro

Rosemary is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) that is native to the Mediterranean region and grows well near the sea. It was long ago introduced widely in Europe. It is an erect, bushy shrub that may reach 2 m in height.

As is the case for mints (family Lamiaceae) in general, Rosemary plants are self-compatible (i.e., they can fertilize themselves), but as is also typical for the family, the anthers (male pollen-producing structures in each flower) are finished producing pollen before the stigmas (female parts) in the same flower mature. Thus, the plants rely on insect pollinators to move their pollen from one flower to another.

Often, pollen from one flower is moved to a mature stigma on another flower on the same plant, resulting in self-fertilization. Self-fertilization in Rosemary plants tends to result in fewer and lighter seeds than cross-fertilization (i.e., fertilization of a flower by pollen from a flower on a different individual plant), an example of inbreeding depression…

(read more: EOL)      

(images: T - Fir0002; BL - Valter Jacinto; BR - Pavel Bursik)